Why Healthier Building Materials?

Thoughtfully considering options in building design and construction help ensure a project is not simply well built, but that it is truly built well—embodying the owner and team’s commitment to health, justice and ecological responsibility.

Simple choices about the building materials and related products shine light on all of these issues, to the benefit of the project, the construction workers, the neighborhood and the fence line communities where these items are ultimately made.

The substantial health benefits of benign materials for occupants are well documented. Office occupants typically work in a virtual miasma of chemical toxins, significantly impacting employee thinking, productivity, absenteeism and overall health. A 2015 study led by the Harvard School of Public Health, investigating cognitive function after pollutant exposure, found that lowering total volatile organic compounds concentrations alone by 90% (from a typical building concentration) resulted in a 61% average increase in cognitive function scores.

Through better planning and informed choices—often at the same or lower cost—we can use healthier building products to achieve dramatic improvements in employee health and well-being, lowering medical costs and reducing sick days. The cachet of providing a recognizably healthier workplace is a noteworthy advantage in attracting employees, particularly Millennials, in a tight job market.

Each project choosing healthier materials moves us towards a future where all building projects and communities adjacent to manufacturing plants will no longer be exposed to the disruptive effects of toxins. Such work is also a generous communal act, in that the commitment of large projects to benign materials facilitates easier adoption of ambitious goals by all subsequent projects.

How do I start with healthier materials?

Which healthy materials have the biggest impact?

What Is The Easiest Way To Start Using Healthy Materials?

Start now: Begin with small actions (use one step from side two) and expand from there.
Define your goals: There will be contradictions – embodied carbon vs. chemicals of concern, transparency vs. green chemistry. Set clear guiding principles to navigate the difficult decisions.
Divide and conquer: Focus on one product type or CSI division at a time. Identify the most prevalent product types by volume and concentrate on those for maximum impact. Typically, these are paints/coatings, insulation, composite woods, finishes, drywall, and flooring.
Select products with transparency and then better chemistry:
1. Health Product Declarations with 100% ingredients disclosed. Next Level – Avoid chemicals listed as Benchmark 1, which contain chemicals of high concern.
2. Declare labeled products. Next Level – Select LBC Red List Free.
3. Cradle2Cradle products. Next Level – Material Health Certificate of Silver or higher.
4. Healthy Hospitals Initiative – Furniture and materials that meet the program goals are free of stain retardants, water repellents, and antimicrobials.
Name healthier products in the specifications: Rather than use performance language. Clarity on one of three listed products is better than on none.
Limit “obviously bad” products: Avoid epoxy, PVC, or added water/stain repellents.
Choose better associated products, too: Finishes typically require other products for installation. For example, for carpets, seek adhesives free of chemicals of concern and carpet pads with no flame retardants.
Advocate for what you want: Talk with manufacturers so they know what you would prefer to purchase based on your defined goals.
Reward innovative manufacturers: Purchase from manufacturers who provide transparency and are working to improve their products.

(top)

Which Healthy Materials Have the Biggest Impact?

Composite Woods: Specify No Added Formaldehyde (NAF), which is more stringent than No Added Urea Formaldehyde (NAUF).
Resilient Flooring: Consider bio-based products such as linoleum or rubber. Alternatively, use polished concrete with a carefully selected finish. Newer bio-based polyurethane resilient flooring has certainly hit Declare — check it out!
Carpet: Nearly 60 Declare labeled carpets and pads are available from a half dozen different manufacturers. Avoid recycled carpet pads (FR) and PVC backing.
Furniture and fabrics: Avoid topically-applied stain treatments, water repellents and flame retardants. Wool, polyester and fiberglass are inherently flame resistant while wood and nylon are naturally stain resistant and water repellent.
Paints: Select zero or low VOC paint and coatings that have been tested to conform with CA Department of Public Health (CDPH) 01350 standard.
Solid Surfaces: Avoid laminated solid surfaces because of formaldehyde, and binding adhesives. Avoid epoxy surfaces unless they can prove that they don’t have BPA that can be absorbed via the skin.
Wall Board: More than a dozen Declare products are available, from three manufacturers.
Ceiling Tiles: – Over 30 Declare labeled acoustic and non-acoustic products from 8 manufacturers.
Small Electrical Components: Specify RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) or post-2014 CE marking certification.
Mechanical fasteners: Avoid chemical adhesion where possible.
Insulation: Some types are straightforward (fiberglass). Foam continues to be a challenge because of the blowing agents and the flame retardants. Better options will come, but for now, where possible reduce/eliminate the need for foam and where required, choose a product that is transparent and trying to improve the chemistry.
1. Fiberglass: For all types (batt, duct, pipe), choose a no formaldehyde option. If money is tight, concentrate on pipe insulation first as this insulation type contains the most formaldehyde.
2. Mineral Wool: Choose a formaldehyde free option – Owens Corning’s Thermafiber FF or Roxul AFB EVO for low density applications (2.8 PCF).
3. Polyisocyanurate: There are two Declare labeled board foams – GAF’s EnergyGaurd NH and Carlisle’s SecurShield NH.
4. XPS Insulation: Owens Corning’s Foamular XPS has a Health Product Declaration.
5. Flexible tubes, sheets, and rolls (refrigerant lines): NH Armaflex by Armacell uses a non-halogenated flame retardant.

(top)

Let’s Start a Project Together.

Contact Us